As medical care becomes increasing specialized and expensive, the need for a Personal Health Record has become apparent.  The healthcare industry in general is at least ten years behind the rest of the country in adopting new technology.  In 2004 and 2005, President Bush called for an industry push for computerized medical records, stating “Most industries in America have used information technology to make their businesses more cost effective, more efficient and more productive. And the truth of the matter is, health care hasn't.”  Political leaders have envisioned a national computer system for all medical records, but security and cost issues are huge hurdles that will have to be overcome in order to implement such a comprehensive program.

Natural disasters and man-made catastrophes have increased awareness of the need for electronic health records.  The President and CEO of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) stated, "September 11, SARS, and Katrina were an insufficient signal to the U.S. government to see that EHRs and an IT infrastructure are essential for our nation's day-to-day healthcare, as well as its long-term security and care in times of disaster." 

A new study from Frost & Sullivan, Opportunity and Trends in the US Personal Health Records Markets, 4/30/07 also stated "Hurricane Katrina proved the fragility of the traditional paper records and confirmed the advantage of having a robust health information infrastructure that captures and stores personal health information electronically."   Another large-scale natural disaster or a major bio-terrorism event could escalate funding and accelerate development of the national healthcare information database.

As Congress studies the problem and debates the best way to fund a national health-records program, the software industry has moved ahead and responded with two different types of  systems for the electronic management of health records.  The first type  serves medical providers and is commonly referred to as EMRs (Electronic Medical Records) or Electronic Health Records (EHRs).  These are used to track patients' medical and billing information within the medical practice or hospital. 

The second type of system has been designed to serve the needs of the patient - the Personal Health Record (PHR) - and are completely separate from the EMRs.  Currently, PHRs are available in many different forms--each having certain advantages and limitations (see chart to the right).  Some forward-looking experts envision medical history and biometric information being collected and carried via intelligent clothing and implanted biosensors!  While that degree of technology may be decades away, effective, electronic personal health records that can be accessed on the Internet by the patient or authorized emergency personnel are already helping millions of Americans navigate around the technologically land-locked healthcare system.

Industry forecasters predict that real change to our beleaguered healthcare system will come from the patient-side, as more and more people use the Internet to learn about illness, wellness and treatment options and demand a larger part in managing and making decisions about their own healthcare.

Virtual Medical Worlds Monthly, July 2007 states "Most healthcare organizations are currently focused on electronic health record (EHR) systems and health information exchange (HIE) solutions.  However, real transformation of our healthcare system will take place when personal health record (PHR) systems are widely deployed and used across the country."   The "PHR market is still in the emerging phase, rapidly growing interest in these solutions is driving uptake.  As customer awareness of PHR solutions increase, so will its accessibility,"  Frost & Sullivan, 4/30/07.